The Hot Stove isn’t exactly sizzling this weekend, but Fancred’s Jon Heyman reports that free agent second baseman Josh Harrison has been drawing a fair amount of interest around the league of late. According to the latest rumors, the Dodgers, Rangers, Giants, Phillies, Angels, and Rays are all currently connected to Harrison, though any prospective deal seems far from completion.
Harrison, 31, had something of a down year in 2018. He batted .250/.293/.363 with eight home runs, three stolen bases, and 0.3 fWAR across 374 plate appearances — in most respects, the worst single-season output the Pirates had seen from him since 2014. Part of his decline stemmed from multiple injuries, as he missed nearly seven weeks of the club’s 2018 campaign with a left hand fracture, shoulder blade discomfort, and a lingering hamstring strain.
Those don’t figure to be pressing concerns in 2019, however, and there’s no doubt that the veteran infielder was a solid presence in the Pirates’ lineup when healthy. He’s only one season removed from his last All-Star run in 2017, and beyond that, offers enough positional flexibility to help offset whatever lingering concerns teams might have about his ability to produce at the plate. It’s not apparent if any of the aforementioned clubs have taken the lead on negotiations yet, but all six could certainly benefit from the added infield depth — even if they don’t have a starting role to offer him.
